Frederick j



(No Model.) Y

I'. J. WEBER. PNEUMATIC GRAIN MOVING APPARATUS.

N0.592,848. Patented Nov. 2, 189A?.

Inventor bee Witnesses Attorney UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK J. YVEBER, OF CONNERSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE STEEL' STORAGE AND ELEVATOR CONSTRUCTION COMPANY,

SAME PLACE.

SPECIFICATION'formngpart of Letters Patent Nor 592,848, dated November 2, 1897. Applicant and June 21,1397. senn No. 641.582. (No man.)

To alii whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK J. WEBER, of Connersville,Fayette eounty,lndiana,h ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in' lPneumatic Grain-Moving Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in apparatus for moving grain by pneumatic means, and the improved system will be readily understood from the following description,taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a grain-moving apparatus exemplifying my invention, and Fig. 2 a vertical section of the feeder.

In thc drawings, 1 indicates an upper tioor of a grain warehouse or elevator.; 2, a storagetank for grain, the same, resting upon the ground and being thus lower than door 1; 3, a dock; 4, a loading-tank in elevated position at the dock; 5, an air-tight receiver in the upper story of the warehouse corresponding with floor l; 6, an ordinary elevator in the grain-warehouse arranged to take grain from any suitable point in the warehouse below floor 1, the head of this elevator being arranged to discharge into the upperportion of receiver 5; 7 ,an ordinary rotary blower typifying means for producingasuction and blast of air; 8, a pipe placing the top receiver 5 in communication with the suction side of blower 7; 9, an inlet to said pipe at some point between the receiver and the blower; 10, a pipe leading from the discharge side of the blower to the upper portion of storage-tank 2g 11,an air-discharge pipe connected with pipe 10 near the blower, the intention being that this pipe shall be extended to such point asto 'avoid objection due to the discharge of any dusty air from it; 12, a pipe leading-to the upper portion of receiver from pipe l() at some point between pipe 11 and storage-tank 2 13, a pipe leading from the base of receiver 5 into pipe 10 at a point between pipes 11 and 12; 14, a pipe leading downwardly from pipe 10 in prplongation of p e 13, the intention being that pipe 14 shall;v e extended to-such point or points at which -it maybe desired to efl'ect delivery of grain from' the receiver,the pipe going, for instance, to thegrain-binsiu .the storage-tank.

the warehouse; 15, a feeder in pipe 13, the same consisting of a cylindrical chamber containing a rotary paddle-wheel forming pockets which successively become filled by grain flowing from the receiver 5,the pockets emptying successively into pipe 10 over pipe 14; 1G, the pipe leading to the upper portion of loading-tank i from pipe l() at a point between the blower and pipe 12; 17, a flexible loadingpipe leading from the base of loading-tank 4 and adapted to be employed in discharging the contents of that tank into the hold of a vessel at the dock; 1S, a top opening in loading-tank 4, such opening being properly protected from the weather by a hood ,'19, a sink at the foot of storage-tank 2 exterior to the tank; 20, a gate at the. base of storage-tank 2 in position to enable grain in the tank to flow outinto sink 19; 21 a pipe leading from the 'sink into communication with pipe 10 at a point between pipe 12 'and tank 2; 22, a mouthpiece on the lower end of pipe 21 in the sink 19, this mouthpiece being of any suit-f able construction usually employed in feeding grain to a suction-pipe; and 28 to 34, in.- clusive, valves or gates-in the various pipes.

'lhe blower produces a partial vacuum in pipe 8, resulting in' the production of a partial vacuum in receiver 5 if valve 34 be closed and valve 33 be open, or resulting in an inflow of air at pipe 9 if valveht be open and valve 33 closed. 'lhe air entering the blower is blasted out at its discharge side, going to pipe 10 if gate 32 be closed and gate 3l be open, or going out'through pipe 11 if gate 31 be closed and gate 32 ha open Assume receiver 5 tocontairl grain regardless of the source from which the receiver obtained the grain. Ifvit be desired to deliver. that grain to storage-tank2, then, assuming all gates in the system to be closed, gates 25, 28, 31, and 31 are to be opened and feeder 15 is to be in motion.v The blower will receive air through pipes 9 and 8 and will blast that air in a current through pipe 10 tostoragetank 2, the feeder' 15- delivering grainy-from the receiver into the current of air through pipe 10, which current carriesxthe grain to If at the same time it be desired to deliver some of the grain down to IOO bins through pipe 11, then gate 30 may bc more or less opened, grain then going down pipe il from the feeder by gravity, aided by the blast. If all of the grain is to ge down pipe 14, then valve 2S may be closed, the grain going down from the feeder through pipe 1i by gravity, aided by the blast, or, if gravity be suliicient, the blower may be stopped or its action on pipe 1l may be stopped by closing gate 3l and opening gate 32. If the grain in tho receiver is to be 'sent to loading-tank 4, then gate 28 willbe closed and gate 29 will be opened, the air-blast then carrying the grain to the loading-tank.

Assume loading-tank i to be full of grain or as being charged with grain by blast through pipe 1U and assumo that the grain from the loading-tank is to go into a vessel at the dock thro ugh pipe 17, properly adjust-ed in the hold of the vessel. Gate 2i being opened, the grain goes to the vessel through pipe 17 by gravity, aided by the pressure produced in tank l by the blast from pipe 16, which blast may be employed in simultaneously producing such pressure and bringing grain to tank l or bc employed solely in producing the pressure. The loading of the vessel may be carried on wit-h great rapidity, but eventually as the hold of the vessel becomes filled the blast may scatter too much grain, in which case gate 23 may be more or less opened, thus relieving the pressure, and as the loading proceeds gate .23 may be eventually fully opened, so as to entirely relieve the pressure and allow the finishing of the loading process by the action of gravity alone.

Assume that grain is to be transferred from storage-tank 2 to the receiver for' the purpose of being ultimately transferred through pipes 1G or 14. Allvthe gates in the system being closed, gates 33, 32, 27, and 2G are to be opened and gate 20 is to be opened sutliciently to kecpsink 19 supplied with grain. lhe blower now discharges air througlrpipe 11 and produces a partial vacuum in receiver 5, the grain passing into the ine,uth"pieeo and upward and on into the receiver. \Vhile the receiver is thus taking grain from the storagetank it'may be taking grain l'rom elevator U, elevator o and pipe 1; thus illustrating a plurality ol` receiving` connections to the receiver adapted l'or separate or simultaneous use, while pipe ll and pipe ifi and the connection of pipe l() to the storage-tank serve to illus trate a plurality of discharges from receiver -5, capable of separate or simultaneous use.

'lhns the receiver may be receiving grain through one or more oi' its receiving 'connections and at the same time be diseharfrinr b D grain by blast to one or more points of discharge, the blower requiring no reversal of motion in any of the operruions.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, substantially as set forth, of an elevated loadingtank having a top opening, a gate at such top opening, a loading-pipe connected with the base of the tank, a gate'in such pipe, a blast-pipe connected with the upper portion of the tank, and air-forcing and grain-supplying devices connected with said blast-pipe.

L. The combination, substantially as set forth, ot an air-tight receiving vessel, a pipe connected to the upper portion thereof for the delivery of grain thereto,- a pipe from the base of the receiving vessel for the discharge of grain, a pipe from the top of the receiving vessel to the suction side of a blower, an inlet branch to said last-mentioned pipe, a pipe from the discharge side of the blower connected to said discharge-pipe leading from the receiving vessel and provided with an inlet branch, and gates for the control of said pipes.

3. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a receiving vessel, a blower, a suction-pipe connecting the receiving vessel with the blower and having an inlet branch, adischarge-pipe from the blower to a point of dolivery forgrain, a pipe to the upper portion of the receiver from said discharge-pipe between vthe blower and the delivery end of the discharge-pipe, a second discharge-pipe connected with the first-mentioned dischargepipe between the blower and its delivery end, a pipe connecting the base of the receiving' vessel with the first-mentioned dischargepipe, and gates for the control of the pipes.

4. The combination, substantially as set forth, of a receiving vessel, a blower, a pipe from the top 0E the receiving vessel tothe blower and having an inlet branch, a discharge-pipe from the blower to a point of grain delivery/a feeding-pipe from the base of the receiving vessel to said discharge-pipe, an airoutlet pipe connected to the disehargcpipe between the blower and said feeding-pipe, a pipe to the upper portion of the receiving vessel l'rom said discharge-pipe between said feeding-pipe and the delivery end of the lis-v charge-pipe, and gates l'or the control of the pipes.

FREDERICK J. WEBER.

lVitnesses: l

N, E. Wanna,

Il. W. MA'rrnAns.

IOS 

